


A Subtle Man

by LiterallyThePresident



Series: SI-9 [6]
Category: King Falls AM (Podcast), Wolf 359 (Radio)
Genre: Minor Violence, Protective Sammy, implication of murder
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-10
Updated: 2019-09-10
Packaged: 2020-10-13 21:01:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,175
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20589041
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LiterallyThePresident/pseuds/LiterallyThePresident
Summary: Ben gets mugged, but Sammy saves the day, possibly traumatizing Ben in the process





	A Subtle Man

Ben cried out as the mugger’s fist connected with his face, and he stumbled back. He threw a punch of his own, but it was easily blocked. The mugger took advantage of his unsteady momentum to manhandle him, and Ben’s complete lack of combat experience made it easy for the mugger to get him into a firm headlock. Ben struggled ferociously, up until the cold barrel of a gun pressed to his temple.

“Just give me all your money.” the mugger said lowly as Ben froze “And I’ll let you go. I just need the money, okay? I ain’t gonna kill you.”

“Hey man, I-I don’t wanna die.” Ben swallowed, “But I also don’t wanna be broke, I kinda owe my buddy Herschel twenty bucks and he-“

“Money.” the man growled, cutting him off, “Now.” Ben swallowed and did as he said, not wanting to be shot. He regretted not letting Troy drive him home like he’d offered. If he died here on some shitty sidewalk in the middle of the night, he was gonna be so pissed.

“Okay.” he said nervously as he slowly and carefully pulled his wallet from his jacket pocket, “Fine, here it is.”

“Good. Now hand it over, nice and slow, that’s right.” the mugger said, “Just hand it to me, and-“ he suddenly froze unexpectedly, his sentence trailing off. Ben couldn’t see why, until a familiar voice sounded from behind them.

“I hope you have a good explanation for this, pal.” Ben’s heart soared at Sammy’s voice, and nearly let out a gasp of relief. But something was off. Sammy sounded... Ben had never heard his best friend speak like that. His voice was light and conversational, but even Ben could detect the ice cold fury brimming just under the surface, a menace to his voice that would send even Ron Begley packing. There was a sound like metal sliding over metal, a hitch of breath from the mugger, and Ben realized with a jolt that Sammy was holding a knife to the man’s back. Since when did Sammy carry a _ knife_!? The man was still, slowly raising his hands in a surrender position, and Ben let out a sigh of relief when the gun was no longer pointed at him.

“Okay, buddy.” the mugger said evenly, “Let’s talk this out.”

“Oh, we’re way past that.” Sammy jerked his head to beckon for Ben to get behind him, and Ben did so gladly, gingerly sidestepping the small, unassuming knife Sammy held in his hand, “Now what’s to stop me from stabbing you right now for daring to lay a hand on my friend?”

“I have a gun.” the mugger said,slowly turning to face them, “Even with two of you, a knife won’t do much. Even if you stab me, I’ll be able to kill at least one of you.”

“Wanna know a secret? This knife is coated with a little toxin of my own design.” Sammy said mildly, unfazed, and Ben could tell from the look on his face that he wasn’t bluffing, “One tiny cut will paralyze you in moments. No antidote, too. And trust me when I say, I can nick you long before you can even get a shot off. So how about you follow me to the sheriff’s station, and maybe I won’t just stab you and leave you to the rats.”

The mugger swung his gun around without warning, but Sammy was already moving. The mugger barely had time to aim before Sammy had kicked him in the stomach, another second had the man on the ground, Sammy’s foot pressing into his windpipe and the knife held aloft over his head. The mugger gasped for air, and Ben could finally see fear in his eyes. 

“Alright, alright.” he wheezed, “I yield, I-I-I yield!” Sammy let him go, but motioned for him to stay down. He took the gun and tucked it into his belt, and then turned to Ben, his eyes softening.

“Are you alright?” he asked quietly, hand hovering slightly over Ben’s swollen cheek, “Looks like he landed a few good hits.”

“I’m good, Sammy.” he smiled despite the situation, “Awesome moves, by the way. I didn’t know you could fight.”

“Seriously?” Sammy raised an eyebrow, and Ben laughed.

“Well, not like that, anyway.” he amended, “You took that asshole down in like two seconds, Sammy, you’re amazing.”

“Ah, it’s nothing.” he waved, grabbing the mugger by the arm and hauling him up, “I’ll take it from here, you should head home.”

“I… No offense, Sammy, but I don’t feel comfortable leaving you alone with him.” Ben said, biting his lip slightly, “He was gonna shoot me for money, god knows what he’d do to you given the chance.”

“I think I can handle him.” Sammy smiled reassuringly, “Trust me.”

“I do.” he said without hesitation, “But I also worry about you.”

“I’ll take him to the station, and call you when I’m done.” Sammy said gently, “You go home and relax.”

“No way.” he said stubbornly, “No way am I letting you deal with this guy alone. He’s dangerous, Sammy.”

“I can handle him.” he said again with utter confidence, “Trust me, Ben. You need to get that shiner looked at. Wouldn’t wanna ruin your pretty face.”

“Don’t try to distract me.” he huffed, but softened, “Just… be careful, okay? Promise?”

“I promise.” Sammy said, and then he squeezed the man’s arm and started marching him along. Ben made to go towards his apartment, his gut a whirl of worry and fear. He got about twelve steps before he turned around and doubled back, keeping low and quiet, following them at a safe distance. He noticed with rising disquiet that Sammy had changed course, and didn't seem to be taking the man towards the sheriff’s station at all, but rather the edge of the woods. The mugger noticed too, and Ben saw the fear that crossed his face before he schooled it into a weak mask of calm.

“This isn’t the way to the station.” he said, and Sammy finally brought them to a stop. Ben took a perch behind a nearby wall, low enough that he could see without being seen.

“Astute observation, Captain Obvious.” Sammy pushed the guy to his knees, his countenance casual but his eyes so hard and flinty that Ben could see it even from his hiding spot. The mugger swallowed audibly.

“What do you want?” he asked, and Sammy absently played with the knife in a way that reminded Ben of a panther toying with a deer.

“Me? Nothing really. But you have to know what a massive mistake you made by targeting Ben.” Sammy sounded so casual, like he was talking about the weather, “A hell of a miscalculation, and I mean a _ hell _ of a miscalculation.”

“Hey man, it wasn’t personal.” the mugger said, “He was alone and I needed money, that’s all-“

“Mm hm.” Sammy said, “And the gun, that was totally necessary? Punching him? All completely necessary, I’m sure. Tell me, would you have actually let him go once he’d paid up? Because you’re not wearing a mask.”

“I-“

“Now why wouldn’t you wear a mask if you were gonna let him go?” Sammy mused, not letting the man speak, “He could easily identify you, you wouldn’t have gotten away for long. So no, I think you were gonna shoot him anyway, weren’t you?”

“Look man, I just-“

“_Weren’t you?_”

“I-I thought you were gonna take me to the sheriff?” the mugger said, his face a thin mask of calm but his voice carrying just the slightest tremor.

“You thought so, huh?” Sammy said, his voice idle and airy. Something about it set Ben’s teeth on edge, “After what you just pulled, you thought I was just gonna take you to the police station so you could get off with a slap on the wrist and a little fine?”

“I-“

“You’re even stupider than you look, Aaron.” he said, and the mugger paled, his breath catching.

“H-How do you know my name?” he asked fearfully, and Ben shivered as Sammy answered.

“I know everyone in this town.” he said, “Every citizen, their names, their faces, their families, their jobs and backgrounds, their goddamn medical history. You, Aaron Malley, have absolutely nothing of note in your life except a dead father and a bad gambling habit. I suspect that’s why you go around mugging people, huh? The murder is just extra.”

“What do you want from me?” The mugger who’s name was apparently Aaron was visibly trembling now, “Is it money? A favor? You apparently know a lot about me, you know I can’t pay you!”

“Oh, Aaron.” he shook his head and smiled, showing off his teeth, “I don’t want anything like that. This is about retaliation, pure and simple. You hit Ben Arnold. You punched my best friend, you _ hurt _ my best friend, you intended to kill him. Do you truly think I’d let you get away with that? That I’d let _ anyone _ get away with that?”

“E-Either arrest me, or beat me up or whatever, just do it.” the mugger managed, shaking. Sammy gave the man a friendly smile, as if they were just two buddies having a chat.

“Sure.” he said simply, and then stabbed the man in the shoulder. Ben was unable to stop his gasp, but he smothered it enough that it went unheard over the man’s choked scream. He collapsed to the ground, convulsing as the poison took effect, and god, Sammy hadn’t been kidding. The toxin acted _ fast_, the mugger’s movements becoming sluggish and slow within moments, and Sammy just... watched. He stared down at the wriggling man, no pleasure or enjoyment in his expression, but no mercy either. Ben’s hands were clapped over his mouth, his eyes wide as he stared at the scene. Sammy seemed wholly unaffected by what he had just done, and Ben was forcefully reminded of what exactly it meant to be a black ops agent. 

_ ‘Stevens works better with poisons and venoms, he’s a subtle dude’ _Jacobi had once said, and Ben resisted the urge to throw up as all the implications flooded in, all the ways the people who harassed Ben and Emily and Troy had mysteriously gotten ill in the past few years, or who had disappeared altogether. 

He’d forgotten once again that his friend was an experienced killer. All the stories that Jacobi told, the inside jokes Lily brought up, the tiny grave that Greg Frickard was buried in; none of it had ever really seemed real to Ben. Like it was a different Sammy that had done all those things, an alternate version of Sammy that existed in some hypothetical past. Not his best friend. Not his brother, his anchor.

Sammy had once told him that his pacifism had been an act, and at the time, some part of Ben had refused to believe it. But now, with Sammy meticulously cleaning the scene with the efficiency of someone used to covering his tracks,with him cooly ignoring the weakening struggles of the man on the ground, there was absolutely no way for Ben to deny it. There was an entire aspect to his best friend that he had never seen, one that Sammy had never wanted him to see.

And that aspect, that cold efficiency and ruthlessness, the lack of warmth or mercy, was absolutely terrifying.

And yet, even through his horror at what he had witnessed, a small part of Ben glowed with a twisted sort of happiness. Of pride. Sammy had killed for him. Sammy had called _ him _ his best friend. Him. Not Jacobi. As soon as he acknowledged those thoughts, he shoved them down, horrified at himself. He felt shame, as well as disgust at himself. It couldn’t be normal or healthy to feel any kind of warmth when he’d just watched a man be terrorized and paralyzed, but he was distracted from his thoughts as Sammy hefted the weakly twitching man up with little effort, tossing him over his shoulder. He carried him into the woods, and Ben’s knees were shaking so badly that he couldn’t have followed them if he wanted to. He lost sight of them, and he wasn’t sure how long he sat there before he finally made himself get up and walk home on unsteady legs.

They found the mugger’s body in the woods two weeks later, and the report stated that he had fallen asleep in bear territory and and been mauled. Sammy did such a good job of acting surprised, he seemed so genuine, and Ben knew that if he hadn’t seen what he’d seen, he would have fallen for it. It kinda made him wonder what other lies he had fallen for, though he chided himself for the thought.

But when Sammy smiled at him like that, so relaxed and at ease around him, laughing at a joke a caller had made, it almost seemed like Sammy’s dark side was completely irrelevant.

Almost.


End file.
